Lionel Messi made his return to action in Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 home fixture against AC Ajaccio. Messi missed PSG’s previous fixture against Troyes after he was handed a club-imposed suspension for taking an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia.
Messi was booed and whistled throughout PSG’s contest against AC Ajaccio. In the end, he did not record a goal contribution against AC Ajaccio, although he did create a pair of goal-scoring chances in the contest.
Former France national team manager Raymond Domenech is far from surprised to see Messi continue to receive boos and whistles from many PSG supporters. As Domenech touched on during a recent appearance on L’Equipe’s “L’Équipe du Soir” program, the Argentine forward is at the least “responsible” for the whistles due to a few reasons.
“And he did not succeed, or he did not want to create something with the public, which does not return to him,” Domenech said. “That’s the problem. Somehow, he is also responsible for these whistles.
“At the end of the game, he leaves, he does not go to see them. He doesn’t have a greeting. He didn’t make contact with the audience. So, this love spite can be explained.”
Messi has had a sour relationship with the PSG ultras since he was booed throughout the team’s Ligue 1 home fixture against Bordeaux last season, which was the side’s first match since its UEFA Champions League round of 16 elimination against Real Madrid. Messi has since gone over to greet the PSG ultras on just a few instances, including after PSG’s Champions League round of 16 first leg matchup against Bayern Munich.
PSG has just one home fixture left on its Ligue 1 schedule this season, as it will square off with Clermont Foot on matchday 38.